The present disclosure relates generally to communication networks, and more particularly, to preventing loss of network traffic due to inconsistent configurations within the network.
In multi-destination, multi-path capable Layer 2 (L2) networks, a set of virtual local area networks (VLANs) are mapped to a topology. Under normal operating conditions, the VLAN to topology mappings are consistent throughout the network. However, due to misconfiguration at a node or conflict between nodes while a configuration change propagates through the network, the VLAN to topology mappings may not be consistent throughout the network.
If a VLAN to topology configuration mismatch is present at one or more nodes in the network, multi-destination packets may be ‘blackholed’ in which case packets are dropped at the node or immediately downstream of the node, which results in loss of network traffic.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.